Baltimore Ravens: JaMarcus Russell A Good Fit?

Former overall number-one pick JaMarcus Russell is attempting to make a comeback to the NFL. Russell is considered to be one of the biggest draft busts in the history of the league.

The expectations were high after being picked by the Oakland Raiders. We should have known a dark cloud was looming, as is anything usually having to do with the Raiders. Russell had great arm strength, but faltered badly because he was lazy, stupid and had a bad attitude. Combine all that with one too many trips to the McDonald’s late night drive through window and … I think you know where this goes.

An over 300-pound Russell was out of the league and seemed to hit his rock bottom. Fast forward to the present as Russell is making what could be one of the most improbable comebacks of all time. Russell has dropped a lot of the weight and is now around the 270-280 pound range.

This past Friday, Russell had a workout for the Chicago Bears, which reportedly went pretty well. Besides the Bears, Russell’s name has also been linked to the Baltimore Ravens. Nothing more than just speculation at this point. Would Russell be a good fit with Baltimore though? I say yes.

Russell would be a good fit with Baltimore under the following conditions. Stay in shape, have a good attitude, learn how to read defenses a lot better then he did before. Would I be worried about Russell reverting back to his old lazy ways? Of course I would be, but if he can get his head right, then he could be a nice asset for this team.

I’m not much a fan of the current Raven backups Tyrod Taylor and Caleb Hanie and Russell clearly has a stronger arm than those guys. That arm would go well with the Ravens deep passing game, which is a strength of the team. Is Russell worth a look? Yes. Is there enough upside to sign him to a one-year minimum contract? Yes. Is late night McDonald’s a bad idea? Yes.

Dan Abeshouse is a Baltimore Ravens writer for Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Danabeshouse82, Like him on Facebook and him add to your network on Google